Recipes from Oaxaca, with love

There is a recipe Substack for every personality in the kitchen. Maybe you need ideas for what to make when you don’t feel like cooking. You’re on a gluten-free diet or looking for a salad laboratory. There’s even a newsletter with the express desire to “put grandma’s cooking to shame.”

If you love the cuisine and culture of Oaxaca, there’s From Oaxaca, a new Substack from chefs Bricia Lopez and T.J. Steele. Lopez and her family run Guelaguetza restaurant in Koreatown. When it opened in the early 90s, it was one of the city’s few Oaxacan restaurants. Lopez expanded the family’s brand to include an entire line of pantry products like mole starters, masa harina, chocolate and heirloom black beans.

Steele is the chef-owner of Claro, a Oaxacan-influenced restaurant in Brooklyn. He also founded El Buho Mezcal, working with fifth-generation mezcaleros the Jimenez Mendez family in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca.

The couple decided to start a newsletter inspired by their love of Oaxaca and each other.

“Everything that I love and everything he loves, it all stems from Oaxaca,” says Lopez. “Our love began from Oaxaca, that commonality that we have, it was the food from Oaxaca. Memories, things that we do. Every conversation that we have, it always goes back to Oaxaca.”

Lopez and Steele launched From Oaxaca on Substack in September. The monthly newsletter is written like a letter from the editor of a magazine, with a snapshot of what the couple are up to, into, cooking and eating. Each one includes at least five recipes that the two developed together.

Some are pulled from dinners served at their restaurants, and everything is seasonal. During the fall, the two shared a recipe for ensalada delicata, a squash and apple salad with blue cheese cream, salsa macha and fried epazote. Their winter citrus aguachile combines fish sauce and mandarin or tangerine juice with chiles for a vibrant seafood marinade. And the cauliflower tatemada Caesar is a reimagined version of the classic salad with charcoal-roasted cauliflower in place of lettuce.

Full access to the newsletter and recipes requires a subscription, but Lopez and Steele shared a recipe for their carrot and jalapeño escabeche. The pickled vegetables add brightness, acidity, crunch and a little heat to tacos, sandwiches, roasted meats and everything in between.

Below are five more recipes from Lopez, including her cheese memelas and a few highlights from her cookbook “Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling” written with L.A. Taco editor Javier Cabral.

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Bricia Lopez’s Black Bean and Oaxacan Cheese Memelas

Lopez describes memelas as thicker tortillas that are pinched around the edges. For this recipe, She layers the memelas with aciento, refried black beans pureed with avocado leaves, Oaxacan cheese and red salsa. Make this recipe for brunch and serve the memelas warm, straight out of the pan.
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Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes. Makes about 10 memelas.

(Cody Long / Los Angeles Times)

Salsa de Morita Seca

Like chipotles, moritas are also made from jalapeños. Moritas are smoked while jalapeños are fully ripened and develop more heat. Lopez blooms the chiles with olive oil to further intensify their smoky flavor.
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Cook time: 30 minutes. Makes about 1 cup.

(Carlos Jaramillo / For The Times)

Pollo al Colmao

This recipe is a variation inspired by the guacamole served at Guelagetza restaurant. Lime, cilantro, chile and oregano are blended until smooth, then poured over mashed avocados. The more uniform texture makes for an ideal dip or sauce for tacos.
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Cook time: 25 minutes. Makes 2 cups.

(Carlos Jaramillo / For The Times)

Fingerling and Raja Tacos

Grilling the potatoes infuses the a bit of smoke into these vegetarian tacos. Lopez adds roasted poblano strips and shaved sweet corn, then suggests garnishing the tacos with crema and grated queso.
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Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes. Makes 24 tacos.

(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Frijoles Charros in Broth

Lopez writes of her frijoles charros: “These are old-school frijoles charros in broth, named after the kind of rustic cooking cowboys would make for themselves while out in the rancho wrangling cows. They are a classic choice that never fails at a carne asada gathering — or make a big pot for yourself or your family to enjoy throughout the week.”
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Cook time: 2 hours 5 minutes. Makes 5 quarts.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)